Spellstruck

 Spellstruck- Martha Waters

Atria Books

Release Date: September 29, 2026

Rating: 📚📚📚

Synopsis: In an alternate version of 1920s London, vestiges of England’s magical past exist, but the use of magic has been outlawed, leading families still with powers to operate illegal speakeasies for a public still hungry for magic. Vesper Holloway runs her family club, where a dash of spell powder or an enchanted cocktail can add a little extra intrigue to the evening. But one night a man drinking a Flotation Fizz that should allow him to levitate a few inches finds himself bumping his head on the ceiling. Word among the magical elite is that such accidents have been happening more frequently, and the club owners are worried that the danger will spread.

Enter Maxwell Ashbridge, a onetime friend of Vesper’s brother, who has joined the government agency tasked with enforcing the ban, and who has a personal vendetta against the magical elite. But he does not have a vendetta against Vesper; in fact, he finds her rather enticing. He promises her immunity for her club, if she teams up with him to help gain entry to other establishments and find out who is responsible for the contaminated magic threatening her family business. But their investigation does little to quell the chemistry they share. As accidents continue and the fight to repeal the ban gains ground in Parliament, Vesper and Max will have to decide—is the magic between them worth fighting for?

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I haven't read much (possibly any) fiction set in the 1920s and I haven't read many books by Martha Waters, but I could not resist the premise of this book. An alternate 1920s London with magic (though not very powerful). It's been outlawed so people go to essentially speakeasies to enjoy magical drinks or potions in the evenings. One evening Vesper Holloway is running her family's club when a drink goes wrong and what should have a patron floating a foot or so off the floor sends him up to the ceiling. Turns out, this isn't the first time a potion has gone wrong at one of the clubs. It is the first time it happens in front of a government enforcer whose supposed to shut down magical things like this. Vesper convinved Max Ashbrige to work with her to find out what's going on, ignore the past between them, and look at the bigger picture. 

There was a lot trying to go on in Spellstruck and mostly I think it worked The world-building was fun, though a bit heavy-handed at first for me.  Once the info-dumping in the first few chapters was done things smoothed out and were the lighter, more entertaining approach I had hoped for. It's definitely a world the author could come back to if she wanted to explore more.

Ashbridge and Vesper are opposites attract types. She's relaxed, determined to enjoy life, social, and all the things that make a great speakeasy club manager. She's also been hurt a few too many times and is determined to protect her heart. Max seems to be the only one who sees how smart she is and I never quite understood why her family treated her as the flighty, dumb child they should have known she wasn't. Max has a definite chip on his shoulder, hides his sense of humor so well most of his friends call him the 'fun police', and hates magic. They should not work together.

But they do. They see each other's hidden parts. They treat each other as equals. Vesper discovers she enjoys Max's quiet teasing and Max discovers he has a thing for Vesper's utter competence and confidence. It's a slow burn because the chemistry is there, but it surprises them. 

The mystery was a bit of a side story, a reason for them to be together. It was all a bit rushed by the end, which was disappointing because it could have been stronger. 

The more I read, the more I enjoyed Spellstruck. The pacing was slower than I'd expected, but it was a fun world to dive into. I'd go back if Martha Waters wrote another book in this 1920s London.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review